LEED Programme (Local Economic and Employment Development)

Conference: Routes out of the crisis: Strategies for local employment recovery and skills development in Asia (Malag-Java)

1-3 December 2009

Malang (Java), Indonesia

Joint expert meeting organised by the ILO and the OECD

Since September 2008, the global economic and financial crisis has reverberated across all sectors and geographic regions, with much of the effect still emerging. While no country has been spared from the effects of the crisis, each country will be affected differently at the different stages.

Some countries have described the crisis occurring in three stages in developing countries; first with the collapse of highly traded industries, then with the drying up of private capital flows and a decline in remittance transfers back to developing countries, and finally with a more general domestic economic slowdown due to reduced consumption.

The diverse impact of the crisis has been quite evident in Asia. Countries whose economies have been heavily reliant on the export of basic commodities and manufactured goods have borne the brunt of the economic slowdown, to date. On the other hand, countries with robust domestic economies, sound fiscal positions, excess reserves and large domestic markets have been able to weather the shock better.

Rationale for joint OECD-ILO expert meeting

In recognition of the complex form that these strategies must take in order to support a sustainable and equitable recovery, the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the OECD are working together to help government institutions and other agencies to share their experiences and engage in a process of mutual learning.

This expert meeting was taking part as part of the joint OECD-ILO initiative on Employment and Skills Strategies in South East Asia (ESSSA) and under the broader cooperation between ASEAN and the ILO. It was also intended as a follow up to the ILO Global Jobs Pact and its implications at the regional, national and local level.
Discussions were supported by the results of joint work by ILO and OECD carried out under ESSSA, such as background research on national and local initiatives and the results of a dedicated survey on employment and skills development policies in the region, and by other work to provide guidance on ways to rebuild sustainable employment at the local level.

The overall aim of the meeting was strengthen the capacity of constituents, policy makers and practitioners at local level to undertake effective employment recovery and skills strategies in response to the financial and economic crisis.

Specifically, the meeting contributed to:

Increased understanding of the employment and skills impact in relation to the crisis.

Improved capacity for the design of effective local employment and skills strategies to support existing national responses to the crisis.

As a means to achieve the above objectives, experiences were shared among OECD and non-OECD country participants on policy approaches to employment and skills development, and ways to connect them with local economic development. Adapted local policy responses to the global economic crisis in participant Asian countries were identified and discussed.

Intended participants

Participants invited to the conference included local governments, employment services, training institutions, key partners in local development strategies (including representatives of national governments, employers' and workers' organisations, and selected research/support organisations), international development agencies (multilateral and bilateral), and ILO and OECD staff.

The meeting was informal and the participants represented themselves and not their country.

Participating countries

Expected country participants: Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Philippines and Indonesia . The meeting will be open for other South-East Asian countries; neighbouring economies and other OECD and non-OECD countries will also be invited.